2011 Legislative Program

In order to remain a competitive state and an attractive place for
economic development, Virginia must invest the resources necessary to
educate its citizens at all levels, ensure the rule of law, protect its
natural resources, provide for the basic needs of the less fortunate and
build a sound infrastructure.

Priorities

Funding Core Services

Unfortunately, it has increasingly become the practice of the
Commonwealth to significantly underfund core services, leaving localities
to fill funding gaps with local revenues in order to maintain essential
services. The critical state-local funding partnership must be
restored so that the Commonwealth can weather the current fiscal crisis
and emerge even stronger, as an investment in Virginia will pay dividends
for years to come.

While all core services are important, Fairfax County’s two funding
priorities for the 2011 General Assembly are K-12 education and
transportation.

Each level of government has unique strengths. As the form of
government closest to the people, local government must be provided the
flexibility to serve the needs of residents, which can vary greatly from
one part of the Commonwealth to another. Taxation and land use are
key areas in which local government needs sufficient authority and
flexibility to govern effectively, and, as such, are the County’s two
Governance priorities.